If you don't like "never gonna happen" trade ideas, just skip. This isn't for you, sorry. http://games.espn.go.com/nba/featur...ams=22~22~6~6~22~5~22~5~6~6~5~6~6~5&te=&cash= One of my more creative trade machine moments, iidssm. Little bit of complex stuff, and we have to wait until Dec. 15 (Martell to be back, Gerald Green able to be traded). CLE/DAL/PDX: CLE Out: LeBron, Snow, Szczerbiak, Darnell Jackson CLE in: Nowitzki, Webster, Howard, (1 of Diogu or Frye) PDX Out: Raef, Bayless, LMA, (Diogu or Frye), Travis, Webster PDX In: Kidd, LeBron, Bass, Jackson, Green (for roster spot purposes) DAL Out: Kidd, Nowitzki, Howard, Bass, Green DAL In: LMA, Wally, Outlaw, Bayless, Raef, Snow OK....for us, we get LeBron and Kidd, while keeping Roy, Rudy and Oden. Unless we play LBJ at the 4 (which CLE is starting to do more), then we're thin at the 4. (Kidd/Rudy/Roy/LBJ/Oden might be fun, though) But honestly, we're only giving up one of the Big 4 for LBJ. Anything else is cake. Bass and Diogu/Frye survivor have to man the 4 unless LBJ plays there. Green is a project high-flyer that would be ok since we'll run a lot (and we WILL run a lot). LBJ loves Kidd, and could probably get two years out of him, until Sergio/Kopo/Free Agent X is ready to take over. We waive Jackson and now have 2 roster spots, whether for Kopo&Freeland, or keeping a couple of our 2nds next year, or (more likely) the "Veteran Looking for a Ring". Also, we get to keep Batum and Sergio as "young backup players". The bench gets a little less deep, but overall we're a ton better. Cleveland loses LBJ, obviously, but they get Nowitzki, Webster and Howard to play the 2/3/4 next to Williams and Big Z. I don't think they'd get much better than that from anyone. Dallas obviously gets blown up, losing Kidd, Howard and Nowitzki. But they get to retool with Bayless and LMA. And here's the big part. They give up 51M in salary while taking in 44M. So they'll save 14M in "straight cash, homey" just in salary and luxury tax this year. Then they have 32M (36M if they don't pick up Travis's option) coming off the books, before they extend LMA. They'll probably have a good draft pick (with Bayless, Outlaw and LMA being the big players for them), some cap space, and 2 or 3 young guys to build around (one of which is a Dallas native). Sometimes this is fun.
LeBron, like true superstars entering their prime - will call his own shots and will go to play wherever he wants. If he wants to come play for the Blazers - any one other than maybe Oden should be made available... and even this is something that should be considered...
Dallas has their pick next year, they just don't have the 2010 one. http://www.realgm.com/src_future_draftpicks.php#dallas
I am not sure but it seems as if Pryz rejects his player option the Blazers could have room to sign LBJ and keep their big 4. Of course we would have to run Bayless at the point and we would have no backup 4 or 5, but if you are going to dream it might be a better squad than you have after your trade: (Bayless, Roy, Lebron, LMA, Oden, Rudy, Batum + role players added for PG, PF and C).
